Sly’s – Carpinteria

Burgers seem to be the benchmark of rating American restaurants. Maybe that’s because it’s such an approachable item on the menu. The price is usually moderate, usually everyone’s had a burger sometime in their past to form a judgment of what they like or dislike about a burger, and it’s offered on nearly every menu in a standard restaurant.

But how could I be such a fan of Sly’s without ever trying their burger? Today, I finally did. I had a catch-up lunch date with a friend and I took the plunge and ordered the burger.

Holy smokes, it’s a lot of food. Officially called Sly’s Hamburger Sandwich, it’s a half pound of burger, ground fresh daily, served with fries, $12. I opted for additional gruyere cheese, too.

And a monumental stack of french fries. Eaten with their housemade mayonnaise. I swear I tackled the pile of fries all through lunch and it barely looked touched at the end of the meal.

The burger itself was intensely juicy and flavorful. I really enjoyed it, and the company, but in the future I either need to have a much much bigger appetite or I need to share it.

My dining companion, meanwhile, ordered the more demure huervos rancheros, only available on the lunchtime menu. I wish I’d had room to sample the dish.

Sly’s has public wifi, which was perfect for me to stay the remainder of the afternoon and complete my regular day job work – you know the stuff, that pays the bills. And it was certainly more effective than driving the 30 miles back to the office.
It was a lovely day out, hardly another soul in the restaurant in the afternoon other than the folks working there.  There were ample tables to work undisturbed, although these weren’t located near any electrical sockets (not a problem if using an iPad or some other lappy with a good battery life). I need to plug in, so I sat at the bar and they were kind enough to run my power cord behind the counter. This also provided an opportunity to sit at the bar and enjoy their company and conversation when I took breaks from work. We shared a cocktail, the best from their menu.

Past visits.

Sly’s
686 Linden Ave
Carpinteria, CA 93013
www.slysonline.com